Fitchburg State Tops Eastern Nazarene, 67-57

Jacobs and Maloney combined for 25 points in Falcons fifth victory of the season

QUINCY, Mass. (December 4, 2010) – Senior Megan Jacobs (Stoughton, Mass./Stoughton) netted a team-high 13 points to lead Fitchburg State past Eastern Nazarene College, 67-57 in non-conference action this evening.

Jacobs led all Falcon scorers, shooting 4-of-8 from the field and 4-of-7 from the free-throw line, while classmate Molly Maloney (Taunton, Mass./Taunton) added 12 points, eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. Freshman Amy Fahey (Wilmington, Mass./Wilmington) also hit double-figures, totaling 11 points on 5-of-11 shooting for the night.

Eastern Nazarene also registered three players in the double-digits as freshman Julianne Atwater (Weymouth, Mass./South Shore Christian) connected for a game-high 16 points. Atwater shot 6-of-12 from the fielding, including 4-of-7 from long range. Sophomore Shardae Brown (Waterbury, Conn./Sacred Heart) added 14 points to aid the Lions attack, while classmate Alexis Malloy (Greenbelt, Md./Eleanor Roosevelt) chipped in with ten points and six caroms.

In the first half, Fitchburg State shot 47.1% from the field, hitting 16 of its 34 shots en route to a nine point halftime lead. Fahey paced the Falcons with nine points in the frame while senior Kristen Love (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) controlled the boards with ten rebounds in the period.

Fitchburg State held only a slim three point lead with just under six minutes remaining in the half, but the Falcons closed the frame strong, posting a 17-5  run for a 37-28 advantage at the break. Fahey sparked the rally with an unconventional three-point play at the 4:26 mark, while Rogers capped the surge with a pair of lay-ups in the closing minute.

In the second half, Eastern Nazarene closed its scoring gap to only three at the 15:53 mark and eventually knotted the score 48-48 just six minutes later. The Falcons maintained a one basket lead for the remainder of the period, before busting through for a 14-5 run to close out the game. Jacobs led the rally with two field goals and two free-throws, while Maloney chipped four points with a perfect 4-of-4 effort at the charity stripe.

Fitchburg State (5-2, 0-0 MASCAC) will be in action again on Tuesday as it travels to Western New England at 5:30 p.m. Eastern Nazarene (1-8, 0-0 TCCC) will host Brandeis University on Monday at 7 p.m.

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Fitchburg State 67, Eastern Nazarene 57